A Soul Ripped Apart
by Fox McCloude
Summary: How did the Guardian of Time become corrupted by the darkness of evil? How did that entity become two, splitting her soul into light and dark halves? How did Lana come into existence as a separate being from the dark sorceress known as Cia? Translated fragment of my collaborative novelization of Hyrule Warriors. Cover image made by ZeekLaerers.


**A Soul Ripped Apart**

 **By Fox McCloude.**

 **Disclaimer:** The Legend of Zelda and all related characters belong to Nintendo. All rights reserved.

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Inside the Temple of Souls, a young sorceress known only as the Guardian of Time, diligently carried out the task she had been entrusted at the request of the Goddesses themselves. At first, she had gladly accepted, feeling infinitely honored for having been chosen above everyone else for this important mission.

But as time went by, this work began turning more and more boring and repetitive, not to mention incredibly lonesome. Until that fateful day. As she observed the events of an age where the incarnation of evil threatened the land of Hyrule, the sorceress attention was distracted by the green, powerful radiance, emerging to fight back and dispel the darkness.

That was just the first time she saw him. But every time, she could tell it was him, the very same soul. The Hero of Legends who always arose whenever the land was in need of a savior. Always dressed in a green tunic and wielding with a firm hand the Sword of Evil's Bane, time and time again he sent back the darkness back to the underworld where it came from, making light prevail again. The Guardian couldn't help but admire every single trait of the young man before her eyes. Tall, with a strong build, swarthy skin due to his tendency to spend his time outdoors, blue eyes irradiating courage and compassion, and golden hair which gave him a certain wild air that made him even more attractive. Of course, there were always noticeable differences between each and one of his incarnations across history, but the traits that defined him were always unmistakable.

But the Hero was never alone. In each and every one of his battles, the incarnation of the Goddess Hylia, the Princess of Destiny, was always by his side. No matter if they had just first met in that lifetime, the bond that tied them together would do its effect almost immediately. When everything was said and done, and their destiny of saving their land was fulfilled, the two young souls were free to share their feelings. Friendship became affection, and affection eventually turned into passionate love. Even if in some lifetimes circumstances conspired to split them apart, in their next life they would find each other again; it was inevitable.

The sorceress gazed at the couple, and she couldn't help but feel a tinge of envy. She wished to be the one in the Princess' place. She wished to be the one who could hold the young hero's hands, to be the one held safe by his strong arms, the one who could taste those sweet lips of his… how much she wished it.

"Why? Why can't I be the one?" she asked herself every day. "No… you can't have those thoughts. You made a vow to the Goddesses. You have a mission to carry out."

It felt so unfair… but she couldn't take back her vow. She accepted this mission of watching over the balance of the Triforce on her own will, and she would see through it. She knew perfectly everything that it implied, the sacrifice she had to make.

" _ **IT'S NOT FAIR… YOU KNOW IT."**_

The sorceress looked around. She was alone in that place, there was nobody else but her. Of course, she knew that. Maybe she had spent too much time in that place, and her loneliness was starting to play tricks on her mind.

" _ **THE HERO CAN BE YOURS… I CAN HELP YOU MAKE IT SO…"**_

This time the voice sounded louder. The sorceress became alarmed. If something, or someone, had infiltrated her private sanctuary without her noticing, it could endanger her mission, and that was unacceptable.

"No… I'm losing my mind," she said, trying to convince herself.

Back to her watching labor, being simply an observer had turned into something so repetitive and lacking in thrill, sometimes she would curse her fortune. There were so many things to see around, an entire world to see… and if it wasn't forbidden, maybe meeting face to face with the Hero of Legends himself. She would give anything to meet him, to talk to him… maybe even telling him of her feelings for him. But what good would that do? The Hero's soul would always be tied to that of the Princess. The bond tying them together was present since ancient times, and it seemed to grow stronger every time they were reborn to meet each other again. What could she do about a love so powerful that it could transcend life and time itself?

" _ **YOU DON'T HAVE TO STAY IN THIS LONELINESS…"**_ the voice continued.

"I accepted this task the Goddesses entrusted me," the sorceress replied. "There could be no greater honor."

" _ **IS THAT SO? IS IT REALLY WORTH TO BE ISOLATED FROM THE WORLD? WHAT ABOUT WHAT YOU DESIRE? WHAT YOUR HEART DESIRES? COME ON, YOU KNOW THAT YOU DESERVE SOMETHING BETTER THAN THIS…"**_

"STOP IT!" she yelled in desperation. "WHO ARE YOU, AND WHAT DO YOU WANT OF ME?!"

" _ **I'M JUST A SOUL TRAPPED IN THE DARKNESS. SOMEONE CONFINED TO AN ISOLATION AS TERRIBLE OR WORSE THAN YOURS. WE HAVE A LOT IN COMMON. IF YOU HELP ME ATTAIN WHAT I DESIRE, I CAN GIVE YOU WHAT YOU DESIRE…"**_

"And why should I believe you?"

" _ **IF YOU DO AS I SAY… YOU CAN HAVE YOUR BELOVED HERO BY YOUR SIDE… FOREVER…"**_

The sorceress had no idea what was going on, but those words she was hearing, despite the evident enticement and deception in them, the promises the voice made her, they sounded more and more convincing. It knew how to take advantage of those desires lingering inside her. Those desires of loving, and being loved, of having someone like the hero, someone willing to do anything for her sake, to watch over her and protect her. Just like the hero did it with the Princess.

"The Princess… if she didn't exist… could I be that special person for the Hero?"

Despite its imprisonment, the darkness was capable of channeling a bit of its essence through its words. It was just a matter of appealing to the deepest desires in the sorceress' heart. All mortals had that small sliver of darkness inside, that crack through which it could enter them to make them succumb to its influence. But this sorceress was a special case. The Goddesses chose her exactly because she had the most noble and selfless heart among all of the members of her clan. She was the one willing to do the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good. The sliver of darkness was too small, so the only way to turn her into her puppet, was to expel the light. That would be no easy feat. In order to succeed, the darkness inside the sorceress' heart had to be strengthened. But the light was still fighting back. The sorceress' soul began splitting apart. Inside her mind, two entities, opposite to each other, but at the same time very similar to one another, started a confrontation. Now it was a fight for control.

' _We have a mission to fulfill. We can't give in to our personal desires.'_

' _ **We are fed up of this. Of living in this isolation. You can't hide it. The Hero has captivated us.'**_

' _But his heart belongs to someone else.'_

' _ **And who cares about that? The Princess is but an obstacle. She just needs to be removed.'**_

' _It isn't right, and you know it.'_

' _ **It isn't right? Don't lie to yourself. You have seen them over and over again. You are envious of them, I know it. When you see them embrace, caressing, kissing each other so passionately. Don't we have a right to some of that happiness?'**_

' _Are you talking about stealing it from someone else?'_

' _ **The end justifies the means! And if you're just getting in my way, I don't need you. If you're just an obstacle, I'll have to eliminate you as well.'**_

' _You can't do that. I am you. You cannot reject me.'_

' _ **You are weak. You're not willing to fight for what you desire. I do.'**_

The evil was doing its job well, the darkness in the sorceress was growing stronger. But the light inside her was still superior, or in the best of cases, they were evenly matched. The clash of the two opposite wills produced an unexpected result. Unable to overcome, or destroy the other, the forces of light and darkness within the sorceress simply repelled one another. It was like her soul had been literally ripped in half, a pain impossible to bear, indescribable. And the two halves, unable to keep coexisting with one another, completely separated from each other. The darkness remained inside the sorceress body, while the light dispersed, flying away from her former vessel, with unknown destination…

* * *

It was a full moon night at the sacred Faron Woods, where the guardian, the Great Deku Tree, was the protector of nature. Like an errand soul searching for shelter, for a place where she would be accepted, the light that had been expelled from the heart of the sorceress arrived in these woods, and as if answering to her plead, the power of nature welcomed her into its domain.

A cloud made of small stars, like fireflies, fluttered towards an ample clearing in the woods, far away from everything and everyone's sight. It slowly descended in a spiraling course towards the ground, covered in vibrant and fresh grass, where it concentrated as it began to take physical form. Soon, the silhouette became more and more defined. In a short amount of time, the slender and delicate body of a young woman, covered only in her own smooth and white skin and her long, light blue hair falling slightly below her shoulders was lying on the grass.

The young woman slowly opened her eyes, to find herself facing the world for the first time. She struggled to get on her feet, looking at her surroundings.

"Where am I? How did I come here?"

As she gazed at her surroundings, all she saw were trees, grass… and then suddenly a cold night wind current made her aware that she was completely exposed. Prey of panic and embarrassment, she instinctively covered herself with her arms, although fortunately there wasn't anybody around to see her nudity. The young woman's first thought was to find something to cover herself, for she didn't want to be surprised by anyone in such an embarrassing state.

Slowly but surely, her memories drifted back into her mind. First thing she remembered: she was a sorceress, and as such she was capable of using the arts of magic. Once she cleared her mind, she directed her sight to some nearby bushels. As if asking them for a favor, she used her powers in them. Transmutation magic, the capacity to transform things into another completely different form. A pair of white light spheres came out of the sorceress' hands, which began orbiting around the bushels, illuminating them until they also turned into part of that same light, which then floated back to her and circled around her creating substance over her body. The bushels were no more; she had used her magic to turn them into clothing, and thus, now she was able to preserve her modesty.

But this was just the lesser of her problems to solve. Now, her mind focused on the most important thing. The most recent memories she had were about that fight she was having inside her head, against herself. Split between the task she was supposed to carry out, and that desire that arose within her heart. That desire that still continued to linger. Those feelings she developed for the Legendary Hero.

"No… I cannot be thinking of that, not anymore. My other half… is still out there…"

She had failed in the mission the Goddesses had entrusted her, by allowing herself to be removed from her rightful place. Now her other half, the dark half that succumbed to her desires, had nothing and no one to restrain her. She would do anything to get what she desired. But she couldn't dwell on it. All that she could do now… was to stop her, and ensure that she wouldn't hurt anybody. That was her purpose now.

 _ **FIN.**_

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 **Author's notes:**

How's it going? Well, I'm about to start my new career, so I figured I could post something short in the meantime, given that I'll have A LOT less time to write from now on. This little piece is a fragment of my Hyrule Warriors novelization, written alongside **Goddess Artemiss,** more or less how I envisioned the way Lana came into existence, as well as what happened when the entity she and Cia used to be, AKA the Guardian of Time was tempted by Ganondorf and allowed herself to be corrupted. In that story, the way we dealt with the characterization of Lana and Cia is more of a misguided attempt to escape their isolation and feeling of loneliness, on both sides, and they mistake that for actual love. What I mean to say is, how can you love someone you know nothing about? The way I saw it, Lana and Cia fell in love with Link the hero, not Link the man, as in, they didn't love him as a person. Furthermore, while I can feel some sympathy for Cia after she was manipulated by Ganondorf, ultimately she has to be held accountable for her actions and deal with the consequences. Which means, Link shows her no mercy when the time comes, and deals the fatal blow without a second thought.

I don't know if I'll translate that story into English, though, given that we took A LOT of liberties, so I'm not sure if you would enjoy it, plus everyone who has played Hyrule Warriors knows how that story is going to go down. Furthermore, it's quite long (my longest work ever). You tell me if you'd like to see more. Well, see ya around!


End file.
